


The Gift of Family

by ellebeedarling



Series: After All This Time [9]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Kids, M/M, Post War, family life, mass effect flash fan works
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-25
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-12-19 19:14:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11904411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellebeedarling/pseuds/ellebeedarling
Summary: John and Kaidan evaluate the ways their lives have changed since the war ended.





	The Gift of Family

**Author's Note:**

> My boys from Someone to Love, back for some fluffy, post war space dad shenanigans. :)

_ You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them.  _

 

_ ~Desmond Tutu _ __  
  


 

Shepard tripped over the hover board leaning against the steps from the garage into the house and kicked it away with an aggravated sigh. The house was noisy as ever, Brinley running around with a model of the Normandy in one hand, a Garrus Vakarian action figure in the other. Her nanny, Elise Hoffman, looked utterly exhausted as she chased after the rambunctious child begging her to stop running and go clean up her toys before either of her dads got home.

 

“ Brinley!” His Commander voice, that he hadn't quite learned to shake, brought both daughter and nanny to a screeching halt in front of him. Elise looked mildly horrified, but Brinley simply grinned and shouted her usual greeting.

 

“ Dad!”

 

The smile and enthusiasm melted all his frustration in a moment, and he caught her when she ran toward him, scooping her into his arms and hugging fiercely. “Did you have a good day?”

 

“ Mmhm,” she said, resting her head against his shoulder. Shepard couldn't resist running his fingers through her tangled hair. It would take forever to get the knots out after her bath tonight. Then again, it always did.

 

“ I'm sorry, Councilor,” Elise began, but Shepard waved her off with a chuckle.

 

“ Believe me, Elise, I know what a handful she can be. Where's Ash?”

 

“ Miraculously sleeping, sir.” Elise grinned at him. It wasn't as though Ashley was a fussy baby, but with an obnoxious older sister like Brinley, it had to be difficult to get any rest around here during the day. One look at Elise's disheveled appearance was all the confirmation needed. “I'll get started on cleaning things up.”

 

“ Brinley will help you.” When the girl made a noise of protest, Shepard sat her down, kneeling down to look into her eyes. “You made the mess, Brin, you're responsible for cleaning it up.”

 

“ Yessir,” she said sullenly, and Shepard laughed, kissing the top of her head as she stood.

 

“ Off you go, private,” he said, and her eyes lit up as she offered him a salute and skipped off to start collecting her things.

 

Shaking his head, John made his way to the kitchen, setting his briefcase on the counter. There were hours worth of work yet to be completed, but they'd reached an unspoken consensus that Shepard would be the cook of the family. When Kaidan came home, he'd have a houseful of hungry troops on his hands, so he needed to get busy with that.

 

The sink was stopped up and filled with water, a green rubber snake floating on the surface, various Normandy crew action figures lying stoically at the bottom. “Must have been a tragedy,” he muttered, scooping the toys onto a towel to dry and unstopping the sink. It was strange to think of life during the war. He and Kaidan had been parents for only a year, but their lives were so wrapped up in two little girls now that they wondered how they'd ever lived without them. Their harrowing experiences during the reaper war were just a distant memory, and John had a hard time reconciling the life they now lived with the one they'd started out with.

 

The sound of the backdoor opening had him smiling, and Shepard quickly fished out two beers, popping them both open and carrying them to the door. “Hey,” he said softly, their typical greeting for one another.

 

“ Hey yourself,” Kaidan returned, extending the greeting to include an indulgent kiss just before his fingers curved around the proffered beer bottle, brushing against Shepard's hand in the process. “Missed you today.”

 

“ You say that every day.” Shepard loved it. Loved that Kaidan always said it; loved that it was always true. “Love you.”

 

Their lips met again, drinking their fill of the contact they'd missed out on, even though it had only been eight hours or so since they'd last seen each other. One thing war had taught them was to never take a day, a moment, for granted. “Love you, too,” Kaidan's lips were still pressed against Shepard's, muffling the words, and Shepard loved that, too. “Where are the girls?” he asked, finally pulling away and taking a sip of his beer.

 

“ Ash is sleeping, and Brinley is supposed to be cleaning her room while Elise supervises.”

 

“ If I know her, she's commanding her her  _ troop _ to do it for her.” He slipped off his uniform jacket and loosened the top button on his shirt before sliding into the nearest chair with a sigh.

 

Shepard chuckled. “Rough day?” he asked as he stepped behind Kaidan, kneading his shoulders with firm hands, rubbing the tension away with long strokes.

 

“ Long day,” Kaidan muttered, then groaned when his husband hit a particularly stubborn knot.

 

“ Anything you want to talk about?”

 

“ Not yet. Just... need to decompress.”

 

“ Want to hit the shower while I cook dinner?”

 

“ Better idea,” Kaidan stood and pulled John to him. “Let's shower together and order take out.”

 

“ Mmm... I like the way you think, General.”

 

**

 

Brinley squealed and ran to the door, as always, when the pizza man rang. Thankfully it was one of their regular delivery boys who'd gotten over the shock of delivering ordinary pizza to two old soldiers and their daughters a long time ago. “General Shepard,” the boy acknowledged Kaidan, and Brinley, hands on her hips, huffed and stamped her foot at him. “Commander Brinley,” he added with a salute as he passed Kaidan the pizza. Brinley smiled, satisfied, and left him standing at the door.

 

“ Thanks, Eddie,” Kaidan said with a grin. “Have a good one.”

 

Brinley was bouncing around the kitchen waiting for pizza when Shepard came in, cradling baby Ashley in his arms. Kaidan watched his husband as he cooed and grinned at her, chest tight with love and affection for his family. There were still days when this all seemed so surreal, mornings when he awoke, sure that he'd dreamed the whole thing – the war, the fight, the struggle. Then there were the days when he awoke sure that the war was still raging around them, convinced that it was this peace, this picture-perfect life and family that were the illusion. Strong arms around him, the heat of a muscled body pressed against his, the rub of a stubble covered cheek against his shoulder or neck always served to ground him back in reality.

 

John laid Ashley in her bassinet, and she squealed when her older sister tickled the bottoms of her feet. The smile that lit Shepard's face melted Kaidan's heart all over again, and he stood at a distance watching his family interacting. Brinley entertained the baby while John prepared Ashley's special meal – some sort of ground up asari protein that looked utterly unappetizing, but which Ashley devoured every time it was offered to her. Brinley regaled them with stories about her day including the tale of the green sea monster that attacked the Normandy earlier in the afternoon. Kaidan had seen the wreckage all over the kitchen counter earlier.

 

“ Papa, you sure are quiet tonight,” Shepard said, glancing at him over his shoulder. Kaidan stepped behind him, wrapping him in a tight hug.

 

He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was one of the lucky ones. So many had lost everything during the war. At times he felt guilty, struck with the injustice of it all. The thoughts were foolish, and he knew it. Life was what it was. His guilt wouldn't bring back those lost, but he could honor their memories and sacrifices by enjoying the gifts he'd been given.

 

Pressing his lips against the nape of John's neck, he murmured, “Just enjoying this moment.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the fluffy. Sorry about the toothache from all that sweetness! :) 
> 
> Special thanks to my fantabulous beta [estalfaed](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Estalfaed/pseuds/Estalfaed)!!
> 
> Much love,  
> Elle


End file.
